Postby Kathryn in MN » Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:36 pm
I would absolutely get a second opinion. I have had good luck with Irinotecan. If he has not had FOLFIRI and if he has not had Avastin or Irinotecan or Zaltrap, those are all very valid options. Some people don't respond to Oxaliplatin, but do respond to Irinotecan. Also if he is KRAS wild (not mutant) Erbitux may be an option. (It may also be an option for certain KRAS mutants, like codon 13.) He is FAR from out of chemo options.
If the nodes are in a location where they can be surgically removed or radiated, that is an option. But the problem is that once it spreads to the distant nodes, in most cases new ones will pop up in other nodes later. Chemo can keep them under control. Sometimes they are in spots that cannot be radiated or surgically removed. My para aortic nodes where behind the heart and against the spine and my only option for them was chemo. Luckily FOLFIRI + Avastin took those two out.
I would suggest that you get a second opinion from another medical oncologist and also meet with a radiologist and surgeon - or go to a major cancer center and ask for an opinion from their Tumor Board.